FIRE EMBLEM: IT’S ALL IN THE STRATEGY
by DragonBrock
Summary: A frustrated actor and public speaker gets thrust into a favorite video game... and ends up playing the role of his life.
1. CHAPTER 1: Girl from the Plains… and me

_**A/N**__ Okay, so this is yet another Tactician/Mark and Lyn story. Personally I never get bored of them because they are all so individualistic. Hence my own version. This story will follow the adventures in the prologue and will eventually end with the fall of Nirgel at the end of the game. I'll even be nice and attempt to give an idea of what the tactician did during that year in between lords._

_**DISCLAIMER**__: I don't own anything that is mentioned in here except for random created characters and the name of my tactician. Nintendo, Intelligent systems, and all those guys own Fire Emblem. Disney owns HSM._

_**NOTE:**__ I will not follow the dialogue in the game word for word. I'll even go entire chapters where the dialogue is not the same. I want to add more of an original flare to the story. Don't worry, the storyline is still intact. If I need help, that's what GameFAQS is for._

_And without further ado (wow, I write a lot with out saying anything)…_

**FIRE EMBLEM: IT'S ALL IN THE STRATEGY**

By IRLexington

**CHAPTER ONE: A Girl from the Plains… and me.**

Name: Alexander "Forenics Boy" Foren

Birth Month: May (not really, but I like supporting Lyn)

Gender: Male (You probably figured that one out)

*******

I awoke one grey February morning to the sounds of my brothers fighting upstairs. My mother was trying to keep a firm handle on the situation, which meant Dad probably had left for work already. My sister was probably still hogging the shower. A normal morning.

It's important for this insignificant part of my life to be known so that you, the reader of my tale, may know what befell me one day after play rehearsal and the events that followed.

Like clockwork I got out of bed, threw my clothes on, skipped breakfast, drove to school early (I'm 17) and ate from the Forensics team stash. That's speech and debate, not dead bodies. I went through the day, attempted to not fall asleep in chemistry, got yet another A+++ on an assignment in Global studies, and pretty much did anything I could that day to just get through it. My laptop slung over my shoulder and my book bag breaking my back, I walked down the theater to rehearse our production of _High School Musical_, in which I had landed the role of the coach. I sat in the house, listening to the director attempt to direct the rest of the students, who were more interested in texting their significant others then they were in learning blocking to _We're All in this Together. _I sat there flipping a coin lazily in my hand when my brother (they come to rehearsal because my mom is the assistant director) came up to me and said that the Game Boy Advance SP wasn't working.

And my story begins…

"Dawson, "I said to my brother, "I'm in rehearsal right now. I can't fix the SP, okay? Hold on." I attempted to care about the prices of our cast shirts, which is what was currently spewing from the director's mouth. Finally, I got bored and went and helped my brother.

I picked up the silver clam-shell-like device and assessed the problem. The screen had frozen on the Gameboy logo screen. The Nintendo name at the bottom was glitched and pixilated. I said to my brother in a quiet voice, "Don't worry. I can get it working." I didn't bother explaining the issue because he probably didn't care. I'm not certain if he even heard anything before, "working."

I pulled out the cartridge of whatever game he was playing now. I don't play on the GBSP anymore because I have the ROMs for all the games we own on my computer, which currently hung from my shoulder. I blew into the cartridge and noticed it was my old Fire Emblem game. I'd bought it off a friend for $15 back when it came out because the stores where all sold out. I remember falling in love with that game, though in my opinion Sacred Stones had more memorable characters.

Well, things then got weird. To make a long story short, I plopped the game back in the SP and turned the little machine on. My director was wasting even more time answering questions from the screw off seniors in the cast, which was annoying me because I really wanted to get into the meat of the situation and start acting. It's who I am and what I do. I love acting, and here we had the school's at-risk consoler as the director and he wasn't doing anything. My frustration level was reaching unprecedented levels.

The screen in my hand began to act up. I hadn't pressed any buttons, but the game had already erased the existing three files and selected a new game. I read quickly what the option was: Lyn's hard mode. I stood, staring in shock as the screen began to glow. Suddenly, like being struck from behind by a cement truck, I was hit in the back by a sudden force. I went over the railing of the second level of the house. Instinctively I reached out my hands, one of which was still holding the glowing SP and then…

… I fell through.

I flat out fell right through the screen of the SP. I looked back on it later and tried to apply physics to the situation and promptly gave up. But that was later. After falling through the screen, I hit the ground hard. Really, really hard. And for the third time in my life, I passed out.

When I came to I was in was looked like a someone's tent. However, who ever was living in this particular tent was obviously intending to stay. Someone had packed multitudes of objects around the walls of the tent. That someone, as I discovered quickly, was a smiling girl standing over my bed with a wooden bowl full of some soup in her hand.

"Oh," she said. "You're awake. I found you unconscious out on the plans and brought you back here. The plains are no place to be taking a nap." She laughed at her little joke. I got a good look at her while she was telling me this. Her hair was sort of a green-blue color, leaning more towards the green. She wore a blue robe-like outfit that was decorated with some kind of tribal design. With a jolt of familiarity, I realized that I knew this strange woman who had carried me here. She was Lyn, the main lord of the first ten chapters of Fire Emblem. And she was standing here, in front of me, feeding me soup.

I think that I hit the ground harder than previously written. Add another really to that sentence.

Sure enough, she introduced herself. "I am Lyn of the Lorca Tribe. You're safe now." Lyn gave me the soup. "Who are you? Can you remember your name?"

I ate a bit of the soup and almost spit it back out. Dang that was hot. I gasped, "A-ander Foren." I tried to say my full name but I was dealing with a burnt mouth.

Lyn gave me an odd look, as though I just called myself Luke Skywalker. "Your name is Ander Foren?" she said. "What an odd sounding name…" I wanted to correct her and tell her my name was Alexander, but you know what, Ander didn't sound so bad, especially when a girl named Lyn was saying it.

I retaliated with my first official sentence in the presence of the plainsgirl. "And Lyn… isn't?" Okay, not a masterpiece of vocabulary, but I still hadn't a clue what I was doing, lying on a bed talking to a video game character. I'm surprised I even managed to do anything. I quickly decided that just running with the game was a better idea then nothing at all.

Lyn laughed. "Oh, pay me no mind," she said. "It is a good name." The green-haired girl apparently found a change of subject in order. "I see by your attire that you are a traveler."

I looked down at myself and indeed I was dressed in what could be called 'traveler's garb'. I wore a green cloak over a pair of brown pants and hiking boots. My shirt was a puffy beige piece of material that I think I wore when I was in _Brigadoon_. Not at all what I wore when I fell through the SP, but I guess that this day just loved surprising me. I was still staring at my clothes when Lyn asked, "So, what brings you to the Sacae Plains? Would you share your story with me?"

I was going to come up with some wild story, something I'm usually good at, but this time I couldn't think of anything. I tried desperately to remember my Fire Emblem trivia. I had finally decided on saying I was from Bern when a load scream sounded from outside. Lyn, who had by now seemed to grow impatient with waiting for me to speak, looked up.

"What was that noise?" she asked. I suppose she was thinking out loud because, even though I knew the answer, she probably had no reason to suspect that.

Lyn ran outside, telling me to stay there. While she was gone, I quickly went over my facts.

I was in Fire Emblem

I was in the company of a Fire Emblem lord

She just ran outside to probably find the bandits from the prologue, which means that I'm at the very beginning of the game.

I am apparently the Fire Emblem tactician.

Result: I'm screwed.

Lyn came running back in and grabbed a sword off a rack. I knew right away that I was right about what was out there. And sure enough, after she clipped the sheath to her belt Lyn said, "There are bandits out there. They must have come down from the Bern Mountains. They must be planning a raid on the local villages. I have to stop them." She looked out the window again. I followed her gaze and saw two bandits, one of them walking this way. "If that's all of them, I think I can take them on my own. Ander, you'll be safe here."

I don't really know what possessed me to do what I did next, but I did it anyways. Rising to my feet I said, "I want to help." Yep, I'm screwed.

Lyn stopped. She eyed me and turned skeptical. "You… want to help?" She asked. "Well, can you use a weapon?" It didn't sound like she had much confidence in my fighting ability, but at the same time she seem hopeful that I answered in the positive.

If I felt like it would have helped, I would have mentioned my two-and-a-half years of being a black belt in Taekwon-do and that I probably wouldn't need a weapon against two stupid bandits. I looked at the rack of Lorca weapons on the wall and figured that I had absolutely no idea how to use any of them. I know that in Fire Emblem the tactician never spoke, but I had a clear idea of what he did say in this situation.

Disregarding the black belt I said, "I'm a… a strategist. I can plan your… battle strategy." Okay, yes, it was corny. It worked.

Lyn's eyebrows rose. "Ah, I see." She didn't have confidence in me and absolutely no hope. "So, you are a strategist by trade. An odd profession but… very well. We'll go together." I followed her out the door. I stopped suddenly and crossed my left arm over my stomach and rested my right elbow on it. My index and middle fingers touched my forehead to finish my 'character ready' stance, the one I use to get ready to go on stage before each scene. I breathed deeply and followed Lyn.

Once outside I got a good view of the plains. I quickly understood why Lyn loved them so. The hills with the grass blowing on them and the endless blue skies were very picturesque. This is probably how Lewis and Clark fell the first time they saw the Great Plains of North America. I quickly focused on Lyn, who had been talking. She was telling me what a ger was and that she would be happy to have me advise her.

I quickly got into my newly created 'tactician mode'. The bandit from earlier still hadn't noticed us, since we were behind a tree outside Lyn's yurt… I mean, ger. I quietly pointed towards the bandit and said, "He hasn't seen us yet so we have surprise on our side. Move in and catch him by surprise." Lyn nodded and ran out from behind to tree toward the bandit.

Unfortunately, Lyn wasn't fast enough to get there before the bandit saw her. He ran towards Lyn, screaming a battle cry and swinging his axe. I shouted, "Lyn! Heads up!" but too late. The axe came down and caught Lyn in the shoulder as she tried to block the weapon with her sword. If it were me, I would have cried in pain and collapsed. Lyn did the opposite. She gritted her teeth and slashed with sword. The axe had barely left her shoulder and she was already counterattacking, clearly in pain. The bandit took the slash in the gut and blood sprayed everywhere. I cringed at the violence I had just witnessed but Lyn kept at it. I knew the bandit was dead from the first slash but Lyn ran him threw, just for good measure. And then her knees started shaking as she dropped to the ground.

I ran over to the swordfighter. She looked up and said, "I've been wounded. Here." She held out a small bag, in which I found two small gold bottles. "Vulneraries." Lyn gasped. "Give me one." I had no idea whatsoever as to how to apply a vulnerary. I don't think any Fire Emblem player did. Lyn was not a Fire Emblem player. She grabbed it from myhand and poured roughly a third of the thick golden fluid on her shoulder. Instantly the wound closed up. Lyn breathed a sigh of relief.

The only thing that kept me from feeling nauseous was the adrenaline from all the excitement pumping through by body. Thank God for adrenaline.

Lyn rose to her feet "Now only one left. The one at the ger." I figured that a ger was the round building that the other bandit was standing by. He had watched the whole ordeal from afar. Now, he stood ready in front of the ger. I noticed that his axe was very sharp.

I whispered to Lyn, "Okay, that guy is not going to be as easy. I'm no expert, but he seems like he's seen a lot of action. So, here's our plan. We will make a bold move towards him, getting as close as we can, but take it slow. Show him that we mean business. Pretty much scream, _without_ screaming, 'Hey I just killed your friend. What now?' and then, if he attacks, kill him. If not, I guess you can still kill him."

Lyn looked at me. "Wouldn't we reach the same outcome if I just **ran** at him and killed him?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. But that's not nearly as dramatic."

Lyn glared at me. "This is a battle. You do not get dramatic in battle. You hit fast and hard and try to live." With that she ran at the bandit.

I muttered under my breath, "No drama? Tell that to the British." I quickly sprinted after the green-haired girl. Whenever I get back home, I am a.) never going to get annoyed with a director again and b.) run to the gym. I will sell my car and run everywhere. I was out of breath long before I reached the fight. I was just in time to hear the bandit cry that he was 'Batta the Beast' and that we couldn't stand up to him. Personally, I saw a guy who was covered in scars, wielding an axe, and probably had steroids for breakfast. Needless to say I wasn't impressed. I cried, "Lyn, attack quickly. Swords beat axes!" Lyn complied, putting a deep gash in the bandit's arm before he could make the first move. However, his axe came around and Lyn tried to jump up as it swung towards her, but failed. The axe caught in her thigh and blood spilled out.

I knew that with a wound like that that Lyn was at a disadvantage. The bandit roared in triumph, then in pain when Lyn stuck her sword through the guy's side. Now both parties were wounded and it didn't take Einstein to know that the bigger guy was probably going to win. It was time this tactician did something to even the odds.

Lyn was gasping. "Ander," she breathed. "I don't have time to apply a vulnerary. It all comes down to this next blow. If… If I fall, I want you to flee. You must escape." Yeah, right. I wasn't sure if I would get a game over if Lyn died and I didn't want to find out. I was staying right there.

Subtly I moved behind her and into the reach of the bandit on the other team. I reached my hand down. "You can do this. I know you can."

Lyn got to her feet shakily and stood in a fighter's stance, sword at the ready. Batta the Beast was also ready. "How…cute," he said. The axeman brought his axe up…

… and then got a roundhouse kick straight to the face.

Yes, I, Lyn's tactician, who has accumulated a whopping ten minutes of combat experience, and all of that from telling the warrior where to go, just kicked the enemy in the face. Yeah! Ad. Ren. A. LYN! Oh, wow, I never noticed that before.

Naturally the axe missed its target as it dropped from Batta's grip. He brought his hands to his nose, roaring in pain and rage. I stood there, in a perfect fighting stance, smugly. "And that is why you should never anger a tactician."

Lyn laughed and plunged her sword through the guy's gut. He yelled something incomprehensible, and then keeled over and died. Blood poured over the plains.

That's when the adrenaline stopped pumping and I threw up.

Lyn told me later she had to carry me back to her ger… again. That was my first day as the tactician to the girl from the plains. And I still have no idea why I am even here

Well, whatever the reason is, I know there is one. The tactician leads Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector in a battle to save Elibe. Well, since I'm the tactician and this obviously Elibe, guess what I'm going to do.

No, hiding under the bed is not the answer.

_A/N Well, that's that. This chapter was mostly to introduce you to what's going on. I know that there wasn't much in the way of dialogue but it's hard to do that when your character is trying to understand why he is in a video game and has gotten thrust into a combat situation with a swordsperson who wouldn't have fought with him had he not told her he could give orders. Expect all other chapters to be better. _


	2. CHAPTER 2: A Peerless Warrior

_**A/N**__ Well, I got this out a lot sooner then Friday. _

_**DISCLAIMER**__: Well, we all know what will go here… but in case you don't… I OWN NOTHING! NOTHING I SAY! NOTHING! Except the tactician's name. That's mine. The rest I'll let Nintendo have._

**FIRE EMBLEM: IT'S ALL IN THE STRATEGY**

By IRLexington

**CHAPTER TWO: A Peerless Warrior**

I awoke the next morning with a killer headache. All I remember from last night was some crazy dream about me being in Fire Emblem. Then I opened my eyes and remembered that the dream had indeed happened and that I was currently still on the Sacae plains in the presence of the last of the Lorca, a girl named Lyn.

Lyn wasn't in the ger at the moment. From the smell, she was cooking something in the fire pit outdoors. I lay back in the bed and decided that I had two choices: confess the truth to Lyn that I was actually a high school actor and public speaker or tell her nothing and hope that we can mend the ties that were probably totally severed yesterday by my poor performance on the field.

I hate moral questions.

Lyn came in with something that smelled somewhat like bacon, though better (I assume that's possible). She looked over at me. "Oh, good. You're awake." She beckoned me towards the table.

I got out of bed, still in my pants and shirt from yesterday. I sat down and began to eat. Lyn watched me the entire time.

I stopped finally and looked at her. "Yes? Is something wrong?" I didn't try to sound irritated but I guess that's how it came out. Lyn looked hurt.

Then she sighed. "No… well, yes. I feel bad about how I treated you yesterday. I did not demonstrate the level of kindness I should have towards a guest. It's just that… I've been alone so long. My parents were killed six months ago in a bandit attack. There is no one left, at least, not to my knowledge. I just… I just do not know what to do." I could tell she was starting to cry.

I scooted next to her. "Lyn," I said. "Don't beat yourself up over it. We both got off to the wrong foot. I'll admit it, I'm not really… not really." For some odd reason I couldn't tell her the truth, that I came from a world outside of this one. My throat just seized up every time. Like some had reached out of thin air and strangled me.

Lyn looked at me. "No really… what?"

I cleared my throat. "Not really… that experienced of a tactician." Well, that was true and I was able to say it. I'd probably regret not telling her the truth later, but as Qui-Gon Jinn once said, "Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs."

Lyn seemed to agree with that and she smiled. "Yes, I probably didn't need much direction yesterday. It was only two bandits." She ate her bacon-like food. I could tell something was bothering her and finally decided to ask.

"Okay, I'll bite. What's bothering you?" See, I did exactly what I said I'd do.

Lyn put down her fork and said, somewhat shyly, "Are you going to continue traveling?"

Well that was totally unexpected and yet totally expected, both at the same time. I knew she was going to want to travel with me because that's how the game goes, but I didn't remember the scene like this. Maybe because of my actions here, the story has changed. What if, because of what I've done, I change the course of history and Nergal wins. I couldn't even believe I was thinking about that.

"Ander… are you alright." Lyn's voice shook me back into reality… er, make that video-game-ity.

I decided to go with the truth. "Well, the truth is, I don't have much of a destination in mind. I was going to… why?"

Lyn's eyes filled with a sort of pleading look, like a lost dog in the middle of a storm. She said, "I want to travel with you."

"Oh, okay."

I figured Lyn would be kind of surprised at how ready easily I accepted. I know that in the game Lyn had to convince the tactician to accept her but I didn't want to burn an already charred bridge.

The Sacaean girl raised her eyebrows, and then broke in a dazzling white smile. How did she get that in a time where toothpaste didn't exist?

"Thank you Ander. You have no idea what this means to me." Actually, I had a pretty good idea. But to make certain, I asked her why she wanted to go.

I could see the pain of memories in her face, but whether she had consciously put them there or not I knew not. "Because… I want to become stronger, so that I may avenge my family's death! Yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't become stronger by sitting here alone," she said. Suddenly, Lyn stood up. "Ander, you can train me!"

WHOA! I didn't know the first thing about training warriors… or battles. Hell, I wasn't even really a tactician. I was a performer, for the Blade's sake! How did I forget that Lyn asked this of the tactician?

"Lyn," I said slowly, which was very difficult considering the situation. "I have… no idea how to train a warrior. I can't use a sword. I mean, I've always wanted to learn but-" she stopped me.

"Well, then how about this. We'll train together. I'll teach you the elementary steps and then we can train together. That will work, right?"

Oh, well, that's not as bad. In fact, it might even be considered fun. "Very well. Lyn," I exclaimed with as dramatic of a voice as I could muster, "I swear, by the Moon and Sun, with every fiber in my body, I will help you become stronger… and then, I'll be there to help you avenge your family."

Lyn frowned. "Ander, I told you yesterday that being dramatic was not a good idea." But I could tell that she appreciated what I had said.

We spent most of that day, getting things together for our journey. Since Lyn didn't want to talk about her family and I physically couldn't, we discussed our plans. I'm sorry to say that we really didn't have any. If Lyn and I actually had some kind of relationship we would sound like some lovey-dovey couple planning to run off with each other.

After looking at a map of Elibe and a separate map of the Sacae, Lyn and I decided to set out for the Bulgar, the largest city on the plains. There we could get whatever we didn't have on hand and plan out our route. I tried to remember the names of the bandit groups that existed in this area of the continent and wondered if we could get jobs tracking down and bringing down these groups. To my surprise, I couldn't remember anything about bandits, outside of what Lyn had told me. I dismissed it as a memory issue, since I once spent an entire night trying to remember the name of a dark tome in Sacred Stones (Nostferatu). This kind of thing just happened to me now and then.

I lay awake that night, wondering if I really could help Lyn on her quest. I, of course, knew exactly how it would end up. We would go to Bulgar and then… and then… dang, what is up with my memory today? I couldn't think of anything after Bulgar.

Maybe I'm just tired.

For the first time, I was awake before Lyn. I got our small packs all ready by the door and when the sun first came over the golden hills, Lyn awoke. I felt something odd when I saw her get out of her bed. It might have just been the sun coming through the window, or maybe I was just more asleep then I originally thought but Lyn looked… beautiful. Like how Snow White looked when she arose from her enchanted slumber. Or… that other princess who's name I didn't want to take the time to remember.

Though I realized it later, it was at that moment that I realized I had started to develop some kind of feelings for Lyn. Was it like some stupid crush or was I just feeling an odd form of friendship. If it was the latter, this was the weirdest friendship I had ever felt. Then I remember thinking about how it would be weird if Lyn and I actually had a relationship. Geez, I must _really_ have been out of it that morning.

"Oh, good morning Ander."

Lyn's voice also sounded beautiful. _Augh, Foren! Get yourself together man!_ I silently thought. (I had to say that because I am know to think loudly.)

We ate breakfast, our first meal without any tension. I think Lyn's whole perspective of me had changed after yesterday when I told her I would train with her. At the very least, she was a lot nicer.

The rest of that day we were walking across the plains. I made up several jokes along the way, most of them funny. Lyn, with no provoking from me whatsoever, talked about Sacaean culture and described her childhood memories in detail… or at least as much as she could before she would start crying. I would put my hand on her shoulder and tell her, "If you don't want to talk about it, I'm fine with that." But every time, Lyn would just keep going. I think it helped her, because by the time we made camp that night she hadn't cried for two hours.

I demonstrated my ability to create a fire easily on the plains. After we cooked some preserved meat that was stored in our packs, I decided to try something.

"Lyn, I know that we didn't exactly meet under the best of conditions and that I haven't exactly proved myself to be the most competent of tacticians. So how about this. Let's start over."

Lyn gave me a look that said, _Um, what does that mean?_

I held out my hand. "Hi, I'm Ander Foren." You know, I think I'm really getting used to that name. It just kind of has a nice ring to it, you know.

Lyn looked at my hand, and then back at me. "What do you want me to do with your hand?"

Though I regretted it I thought, _You could hold it_. Then I mental-kicked myself. "Shake it. That's what people do to greet each other in… from where I came from." Still couldn't talk.

"Oh." Lyn took my hand and shook, with a sort of grace that one doesn't really find often in hand shakers. It wasn't a hard grip, it was… comfortable. Lyn smiled and said, "Hello Ander Foren. I am Lyn of the Lorca tribe." We both broke out laughing.

"See?" I said. "We just needed a clean slate, a chance to start over." Our eyes met and the fire seemed to suddenly get rather warm. I have no idea what's wrong with me.

Lyn looked away. "Thank you Ander," she said softly. "Thank you for taking me with you… and for being my friend."

A friend. She just called me her friend. I felt a pleasurefull feeling well up inside of me, similar to pride but better. Warmer.

Lyn continued to speak. "I know that we will be a great team. You, my master tactician. And me-"

"My peerless warrior."

Lyn looked at me after I cut her off. Then she smiled. "Thank you." She was silent a moment. "Somehow Ander, I think that the two of us are going to have an adventure of a lifetime." Her words were filled with awe, as if she had just now realized we were traveling to parts unknown, on a quest with no foreseeable end.

Lyn bid me good night after that. We had to get up early in order to make Bulgar by nightfall. I lay awake, the second night in a row now, thinking.

My mind seemed to have become a tactician's mind without my knowing it. I laid everything out, so I could see it all, and approached each concern like an enemy unit.

*I had suddenly developed feelings for Lyn.

*That same girl considered me a friend.

*We were going on a life-altering journey together.

*I would be her master tactician, and she would be my peerless warrior, just like the game stated.

*And I would be there to help her… help her…

Another concern was that I realized I was forgetting the storyline of the game. My memories of battles and allies and the… the… see, I can't even remember who we end up fighting.

I tried to think of home, of my family. Of lunches in the Forensics team's classroom. Of my best friends. Of the theater.

I could barely even remember the names of my siblings.

I knew that they existed. I knew they had been a part of my life. But suddenly, for some unexplainable reason, I was forgetting them. Forgetting everything of my old life.

All I had were the memories of the last three days on the plains of Sacae with Lyn.

_What's happening to me?_ I cried in my head.

Of course, no one answered.

Well, crap.

_A/N Okay then. That wraps up Chapter 2. I know it's not the story of the game but I wanted to have part of the journey to Bulgar because, come on, Lyn and Tactician had to do something over the trip. It wasn't like Lyn lived outside of town. So, here's a bit more of the story for you._

_Oh, and our hero is discovering he is going crazy. Or is he?_

_Review please!_


	3. CHAPTER 3: Footsteps of Fayt

_**A/N**__ Finally, we return to the original storyline of Fire Emblem. Yes, that means that Kent and Sain will appear and join the storyline. We will also be meeting some other repeating minor characters. Yes, I'm mutating the story a little but come on, everyone would get bored if I followed the game to a period. _

_**DISCLAIMER**__: This. Is. THE DISCLAIMER! Which means for all you who don't know, I cannot claim anything in this as my own. Go Nintendo and I.S.!_

_**NOTE: **__There is no tutorial in this battle, or any other. This is my strategy. More uniqueness._

**FIRE EMBLEM: IT'S ALL IN THE STRATEGY**

By IRLexington

**CHAPTER THREE: Footsteps of Fayt (Notice the spelling)**

We reached Bulgar late the next day. I was silent the entire time we broke camp and continued our journey. Lyn was also in a rather untalkative mood as well, so I got to hear the birds sing while I puzzled about my newfound feelings for a girl I had only known for four days. Were these genuine feelings? I wouldn't know. I'd never had a girlfriend before. I had a friend back home who I was close to, but that wasn't nearly the same thing. I couldn't even remember her name now. It really bugged me that I was forgetting who I used to be, especially at so rapid a pace.

Maybe the game was forcing this upon me. We all know the tactician and Lyn were close. Maybe this was just how I was supposed to feel, regardless of what I really felt. I don't even know why I was trying to argue with my feelings. Here I am, walking across the plains with a beautiful girl, on a journey of a lifetime and I just so happened to have feelings for this girl. Why did I find something wrong with that?

I'm blaming it on the lack of Dr. Pepper.

"Well, here we are," Lyn said. "This is Bulgar, the largest city on the Sacae plains."

I looked over at the market district of the city. All kinds of wares were being sold from brightly colored vendor booths along the road. I saw cooking equipment, food, clothes, medicines, and a lot of weapons. These plainsmen must really love their weapons. Most of what I saw were swords and bows of various kinds, though occasionally a lance or axe dealer would pop up. "Now we can get a lot more supplies, maybe even a horse or two," I said. We didn't have much in the way of money, but I figured I could haggle something. I could also see the rounded walls of an arena in the distance. That might help.

Lyn and I spent about an hour shopping. We managed to buy a sword for me, which I actually found to be of very exquisite design. I also purchased a small hunting knife. While Lyn was buying more food, I found a Kutolah tribesman selling horses. While we were discussing the finer points of raising horses on the plains, I subtly slipped out my knife and cut the guy's money bag, emptying it of its coins. I don't remember where I learned the trick, but I figured that we needed money and this guy's dress told me he had a lot more gold than this.

Using the man's own coin, I purchased one of the horses, a stallion that I named Hawkfire. It was a good name, I thought, for a Sacaean horse and Lyn agreed when I told her.

Lyn and I parted once more, each with a new list of supplies. I didn't immediately go anywhere. Instead, I leaned against a wall and started thinking. I serious think that I am addicted to thinking.

_If I have feelings about Lyn, and I don't know why, then what am I supposed to do?_ I thought. Yes, I'm still on that topic. It unnerved me. I hadn't ever had any kind of serious relationship with anyone, never had a girlfriend, didn't even think about going to dances until my sophomore year! Plus, I hadn't had feelings this intense before. I mean, she did save my life, but she was a friend. What if I hurt her? I couldn't… _Wait_! I thought again. _I can care about her, but there's nothing wrong with just wanting to be her friend._ That's always a good foundation and I felt comfortable with that. Corny? Yes. Sappy? Kinda. I hadn't had any experience with what most would call "romance." So, I just went with my instincts. Besides, it seemed to me like I had done this kind of thing before. But, of course, I couldn't remember. That was seriously bringing my mood down.

I suddenly noticed that the weight of my money belt was slowly disappearing. I whirled on the spot and caught a young blue haired boy in the face while he was busy trying to steal my stolen money.

The boy fell onto the street and I drew my sword. I had no idea what to do with it but the idea was dramatic and I felt it would get the point across.

Lyn was so right when she said drama was a bad idea.

Another boy, red-haired and older, helped the pickpocket to his feet. The two boys drew small hunting knives and approached me. I held my sword up but they just laughed. I must have looked very inexperienced.

The older boy taunted me. "Heh, wearing a sword doesn't always give you protection! Just give us your money and we can all be happy." Happy. Right. He lunged at me and I dodged, stepping to his right . My free hand, now a fist, came up and I backhanded the kid across the face. He cried out but didn't fall. Angered now, he and the pickpocket backed me into a corner.

I thought that this was it. Taken down by two boys with knives. Not an epic way to go.

"Is something wrong here?"

I love Lyn. Then I mental-kicked myself for thinking that.

Lyn walked towards the boys with her sword drawn. However, when they saw it, they looked nervous. Whether it was the fact that someone had evened the odds or that Lyn just looked more skilled then I did, I don't know. I didn't care. I was saved.

The older boy said, "Come on Sil. We're done here."

"But… but Fayt…" the pickpocket whined. His protest was silenced by a glare from his friend. They melted into the crowd.

I sheathed my sword. "Lyn, you are an angel. A guardian angel." My face instantly got hot and probably red, but I didn't care.

Lyn smiled, "Be careful Ander. I need you. I can't train if my partner is lying dead in some alley." She must have found it funny, but I couldn't exactly agree. Actually, I felt nauseous.

Wait, she needed me? Maybe just for sword practice but… she needed me?

______________________________________________________________________

I made a trip to a clothes vendor to buy myself a new traveling robe. This one was blue with silver lining and it looked expensive, but the lady selling it told me she had made many more and that the price was a mere 15 gold. I took the bargain and threw the robe on. To go with it and my tactician role, I bought a thick note book for writing battle plans in. I was still furious over my humiliation.

I met back with Lyn shortly before what I think was 3:00 PM Sacaean standard time… assuming of course that such exists. I showed her my purchases and we loaded up Hawkfire with what we couldn't carry on our packs. He was a good strong horse and I felt that we would be able to get a lot of use out of him.

Unfortunately, the gap in the city's walls that lead to the plains outside was blocked by two men, one in green armor and the other in red. The red one was checking a large map and talking to one of the villagers. The green one was lazing on the side of his horse. Seeing the two of us, he ran over. I thought he was going to ask for directions or something.

No, it had to the thing furthest from that…

"Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!" the green knight exclaimed. I did a double take. This guy just randomly walked over to us and started spouting poetry or, and I was afraid of this, pick-up lines.

I did a once over of the knight. He had brown hair that was kept in place by a headband. His armor was for the most part a forest green, except for the white underarmor. He didn't exactly look like the kind of guy who went around complimenting women, which is what he obviously was doing to Lyn, since calling me lovely would have sounded so wrong.

"Wait, O beauteous one! Would you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?" the knight exclaimed when Lyn pulled her arm from his grasp. While I was studying him, the guy hand dropped down on one knee like he was going to propose to her then and there. I didn't know him but he was starting to get on my nerves. Too many people were doing that today. Yet, something about this man's behavior sparked a slight recognition.

Lyn wasn't impressed but I could tell she had played this game before. I hadn't. All I knew was the Jealousy Dragon inside me was ready to take to the sky and incinerate this guy. I stared angrily at the knight as Lyn said, "Where are you from, sir knight, that you would speak so freely to a stranger?" Ah, she was toying with him. I felt a smile creep across my face.

The knight put on what I assumed to be his victory face. It looked well practiced. "I am from Lycia. I hail from the Caelin canton, home to men of passion and fire!"

"Caelin?" I asked. I immediately pulled out our list of places in Elibe to venture to and wrote next to Caelin, _Warning! Obnoxious fiery knights here. _I made certain that the new text was visible when I put it away.

Lyn's comeback was better. "Shouldn't that be 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues'?" Oh, now that was way good. I smiled at her and threw up my hand for a high five. They both looked at me like I had grown a second head. My hand came down.

Lyn smiled at the knight, "Farewell, sir knight. I hope you have better luck in the future. I hear jackrabbits are easily persuaded by oafs like you!" With that she turned and left. The two of us were left speechless.

The knight looked at me, "She your girl?"

I looked at him slyly, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Then I ran after Lyn.

I caught up to her before to long. "Lyn! Wait!" I cried. She turned. I breathed heavily and said, "Unless you want to stay in Bulgar, we do have to go back that way to get out." I pointed towards the knights, where the green one was getting yelled at by the red one. I honestly hoped a fistfight would ensue.

Lyn looked furious. "I swear to you, Ander, if that knight treats me like that again, I will personally decapitate him and you are not going to stop me." Normally I would have been scared by the burning anger in her eyes, but I had already seen this with the bandits several days ago.

Trying to calm her down, I went for a joke, "Don't worry. When you've done that, I'll put his head on a pike and we can parade it across Elibe." She laughed and then we went back to the exit, back to the knights.

"I AM NOT YOU!" The red knight roared at our callow oaf. I almost suggested we just find an inn and stay there until these guys left town, but that would have been cowardly and Lyn didn't do cowardly.

"Excuse me! You're blocking the road," said Lyn. "If you would be so kind as to move your horses..." The two jumped, as though they hadn't realized we returned. The green knight blew a kiss at Lyn. I thought, _remember the pike, remember the pike._

The red knight, another brown haired man, was far, FAR more courteous. "Oh, excuse me." He pulled both horses out of the way, leaving us plenty of room to bolt for it. He nodded at Lyn, but the look on his face was anything but apologetic. I swore that he frowned, as if trying to remember a message someone had given him. "Pardon me, but… have we met before?" Oh great, so all of Caelin's knights were womanizers. Perverts and pickpockets. I had just about had enough of this day. I about reached for my sword (I still had no idea what to do with it) when the green knight spoke. Sadly, it wasn't in our defense.

"Hey! No fair, Kent! I saw her first!"

Alright, that did it. Lyn glared at the two knights and we walked past them briskly. I swear I felt the temperature drop. The knights began to fight again.

"Lyn," I said, "Promise me that the next time we meet a knight from Caelin, I can just kill him and get it over with." I surprised both of us by saying that. But still, Lyn laughed.

"You know Lyn, we wouldn't have these issues if you just weren't so beautiful."

Oh my gosh, did I actually say that? What was wrong with me? What the heck was wrong with me? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Lyn was surprised, but pleased, "Why, thank you Ander. Do you really think so?"

"Um… yes? Did… did it bother you that I told you that?" _Shut up, Ander_, I thought. Lyn shook her head, laughed and then put her arm over my shoulder, obviously finding my awkwardness amusing. I felt my face get hot again, but I didn't care. I had just called Lyn beautiful and had lived to tell about it. Tacticians- 1. Knights- 0.

I actually took it a step further. "Um, Lyn. No offense or anything but… does that whole flirting thing the knights were doing happen to you often?" I braced for impact.

Lyn sighted. "More often then I'd like. That's what I like about you Ander. You are kind and sweet, unlike those knights back there. You treat me like a person, not a prized horse."

She… liked me? We hadn't been on the road very long and she already liked me? Tacticians-Over 9000.

We weren't much further when Lyn noticed something. A group of men, dressed like the bandits from a few days ago, had emerged from the woods and were headed towards us. A big guy, obviously their leader, hailed us down.

Lyn looked at me. "What's our plan?" she asked, a little scared.

I looked at the men's axes. Their very sharp axes. That left me with one option. "Run!"

We were a lot slower then those bandits. They caught us within minutes and encircled us. I whispered to Lyn, "These guys are out for blood. Let me do the talking."

The leader walked forward. "Heh heh hehh..." he chuckled. "Aren't you the pretty one!"

I struggled to keep myself together. Why did everyone have to hit on the one girl I liked who liked me back? I pretended to ignore the comment and said, "Gentlemen, can we help you?" I knew exactly what they wanted but words would probably serve better then swords right now.

The bandit had the nerve to ignore my question. "You!" he pointed at Lyn. "Are you Lyndis?" Wait, what… Oh, now I remember. Lyn's full name is Lyndis. Hey, I actually remembered something!

Lyn looked pale. "What… what did you call me? Who are you people? What do you want?"

The bandit shook his head. "Such a waste. A pretty thing like you should be hangin' with someone like me instead of this guy," he pointed to me. "But gold is gold. Time to die, darlin'" Say what?

I began to panic. I couldn't fight at all and five was too much for Lyn to take alone. I didn't want to lose faith in front of Lyn but it seriously looked bad for us. I looked around for an escape. Then I get a plan.

"Whoa, hold on a second there," I said, putting me hands up. "Die? As in kill? I think I have a problem with that." I quickly devised a plan. "Tell you what… Here's how we do this. You command these men, yes?" The guy nodded, interested in where I was going with this. "Okay, well let's have a little contest. You stand over there, on the other side of that stream. I'll stand here. We'll each have our men fight for us. If you win, Lyn dies. If we win, you die. Easy. Understand?"

The man laughed. "Ah ha ha ha. Now that might make it more fun. You're dead anyways so… yeah, why not have a little competition. I'll get paid whether I kill you here or not. It's a deal." He ran over the bridge to where I told him to go. Sometimes, I'm just that good. Now about Lyn…

Lyn was terrified. "Ander! What are you doing? There's far too many for me to handle alone!" Her voice sounded scared and… also a little hurt?

"You won't be alone," I said. I pointed towards Bulgar. "The cavalry has arrived."

The knights from the city had caught up to us, and the bandits scattered. I felt bad about gambling Lyn's life like that, but it had bought us time for the knight to arrive… assuming they would help more then hinder.

"Whew... finally caught up..." panted the green knight. In his hand was a lance, fresh from the marketplace I'd wager. He then took a look at the number of bandits who had attacked us, and challenged. "Such numbers against a girl? Cowards! Every one of you!" I guess he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"You!" exclaimed Lyn. "What are you-"

"We can be angry with Sain later," the red knight, Kent if I remember, interrupted. "It appears these ruffians mean to do you harm. If it's a fight they want, let them look to me!" He drew a sword from his side. I could tell that these knights we had picked up were a lot more experienced then both Lyn and I.

"Stay back, milady. We'll… I'll take care of this," Sain, the green knight, boasted. I gave him a hard stare. Even I knew that lances, which he had, were inferior to axes. I figured that this was a battle and these were my warriors (Lyn of course being my peerless one) and I was to be their leader. So I decided to take a firm hand on this. I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I hadn't done a very good job directing last time, but I had a plan now. I had gotten into my role. I would not let anyone down. I would not let Lyn down.

"Tell you what. I'll direct you all. Give me names and I'll give orders. Together we'll take these bozos down!" I cried. The bandits, who were quickly regaining their confidence, had started to sneak out of the woods. I needed to get a handle on this quick.

"I am Kent, a knight of Lycia," Kent introduced. "My companion is Sain. I vow for both of us that we will follow your orders in this battle." He was making this a lot easier for me. Kent turned to Lyn. "Is this acceptable, milady?"

"Yes, it is. Ander and I will lead. Let's go!" Lyn seemed to have a hidden leadership trait in her. Things were finally looking up. To cap it all, Lyn said, "We will win. Ander is an excellent tactician."

Well, that wasn't what we had agreed in Lyn's house two days ago, but it was good enough for me. At least Lyn still believed in me.

"Okay then. Let's get ready to rumble!" I said, throwing my hand out. Kent and Sain rode there horses forwards. Lyn started, and then turned.

"Be safe, Ander. I still need you." She flashed me a smile and then charged into battle.

"I will," I whispered. I noticed that the nearest bandit had emerged from the woods. I cried, "Kent, Sain! Take him down!" The two of them complied. Sain's lance got there first but the bandit easily dodged. However, he was unable to dodge Kent as well. I cringed as a shiny sword became crimson with blood. The bandit didn't fall, but he was also pretty wounded. I saw another rushing to his aid from the south. "Lyn!" she turned. "South!" The swordswoman rushed to intercept the other bandit.

I couldn't keep yelling like this. I quickly ran out into the middle if the battlefield. The knight's bandit had fallen and now the two looked to me. I knew there were three others counting their boss. Lyn ran up, her sword and robe stained with bandit blood. I breathed deeply. "Okay men, there are three others out there. I doubt highly that the leader agreed fully to our deal. We'll see once we are out of these woods." This is where I figured I had to start winging it. I had no idea where anyone was. I had people counting on me. So, I decided on logic. "Make for the stream. They probably went to talk with their boss." Hey, it made sense. Sometimes I just surprise myself.

Lyn nodded, "Come on then. To the stream." I of course took up the rear. Must. Find. A. Gym!

I didn't have to tell them that if attacked to counterattack. Once the team had emerged from the woods, a bandit ran across the bridge and attacked Lyn. She killed him with ease. I said, "Knights, to the north. Trap them up there. Lyn, you and I will go over this bridge and surround them." I notice, much to my surprise, that the enemy boss had actually honored our deal. He was standing right where I told him too. Another brigand stood next to him. Suddenly, he cried out when two horsemen emerged from the trees alongside the stream and cut him down. Sain had a sword now. I suppose Kent had lent him a spare. Note to self: Kent is the better knight.

The four of us surrounded the boss. I stepped forward. "Well, my friend, it would seem we won. According to our deal, you are dead."

"Accursed knights, always tampering in others' affairs!" the bandit roared. "And you!" he pointed at me. "You're just as bed. I'll slaughter the whole lot of ya." He swung his iron axe through the air, heading right for Lyn.

"No!" I cried, and I threw myself out in front of it. I tried to draw my sword, but I was too slow. The metal of the axe tore into my shoulder, catching on the bone. The pain was excruciating. I dimly noticed that Lyn had already dodged the blow. _Stupid_, I thought. _Of course Lyn would be able to dodge it. _I lay on the ground, bleeding heavily from my shoulder, as Kent's horse kicked the bandit to the ground. Lyn was suddenly there and she stabbed the guy several times. When she stopped she was seething and the guy looked like chopped hamburger. I warned him he was dead. I tried to rise to my feet to congratulate the troops, but I got dizzy from bloodloss and collapsed.

The battle was officially over.

________________________________________________________________________

"Ouch!" I cried, as Lyn wrapped bandages around my arm. We had already applied a vulnerary dosage to the wound, but Lyn still insisted on bandaging it.

Lyn stepped back to admire her handiwork. "Hmm, very intimidating," she mused. I blushed. Sain on the other end of the campfire rolled on the ground laughing. The plainswoman turned to him and Kent. ""So, knights of Lycia. You were going to share your story with me?"

I sat up. Now we would hear why these guys had been bugging us all day.

Kent cleared his throat. "We have ventured from Caelin, in Lycia, in search of someone. A woman named Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad some 19 years ago. Her father, Marquess Caelin, or Hausen as he is informally called, eventually denied having a daughter, for shame of her running of with a, as he put it, "savage."

Lyn's eyes darkened. I didn't much like the story either. All the nomads I had met seemed pretty great.

Kent noticed the coldness from Lyn. "Allow us to finish," he said. "Recently, the Marquess received a letter from his daughter, the first she had ever sent. It said that she, Madelyn, was living happily on the plains with her husband and their daughter Lyndis, named for Madelyn's mother and wife of the Marquess. Lord Hausen's heart was thawed and he sent Sain and me to find Madelyn and her family. You see, the Marquess only wants to meet the family he originally denied and scorned and to repair ties between them."

"But Madelyn and her family are dead," Lyn said. I jumped. How on earth did she know that?

Kent bowed his head. "Yes, that is what we heard. However, we also learned that Lyndis lives on. In fact, I am willing to wager that she is sitting across the campfire from me."

A memory jumped to the surface of my mind. I felt I could blurt it out since everything was already so obvious. "Lyn is Lyndis. She is the heir to Caelin throne," I said. "Um, but to be sure, how would you know this is the Marquess's granddaughter?" I already knew. The memory that was fading had supplied me with that.

Sain said, "Because she looks just like her mother."

Lyn looked at the green knight, "You knew my mother?"

Kent shook his head. "Sadly, no," he said, with a tone of regret. "However, I have seen portraits of her in the castle."

Lyn looked at the fire. "To the Lorca I was Lyn, daughter of the chieftain. But to my parents, whenever the three of us where alone, I was Lyndis." She sighed heavily. I thought I saw more tears in her eyes.

I got an idea. It was insane. Totally crazy. But I knew that Lyn was alone now. Or so she thought. "Lyn," I said. "Let's go to Caelin." I pulled our list of places in Elibe and ripped it up until all that was left was the piece that listed _Caelin_, as well as my addition earlier that day. Sain narrowed his eyes. "You have a grandfather now. Think about it. You are not alone anymore."

Lyn looked at me. "You're right. That's a great idea. We should… Hold on." We looked at her. "That bandit called me Lyndis as well. He said he was paid to kill me." The uncertainty had returned to her face.

Sain seethed, "Lundgren. The Marquess's ambitious brother. He must have hired those men to kill you so he would be next in line for the throne."

Oh, so I had gone from aimless wandering, to my first battle, to planning a family reunion, to a political conspiracy all in one day. Swell. "Well, then we now have two choices," I said. "We can go to Caelin and annoy the hell out of Lundgren. Or we can ignore Caelin and go somewhere else. Lyn, I know I'm your tactician, but this is your decision now." We all looked at her.

Lyn stood up and paced around the fire. Finally, after eight revolutions around the glowing embers she said, "I don't want to inconvenience anyone. I do not want a royal title. I want to train to avenge my family's death. But… I do owe this to my grandfather. He should see his family at least once. So I will go to Caelin. I want to see my family." I applauded Lyn's speech and promptly pulled out the knights' map in order to estimate the safest course.

Kent was not as enthusiastic. "I will warn you milady. As long as Lundgren feels that his plan is threatened he will continue to attack you. This attempt on your life today will surely not be the last." Wow Kent, way to kill the vibe, man.

Lyn did not back down. "I am not afraid," she said. "I will see my grandfather and Lundgren can have the title. I do not want it" And with that, that was that.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Lyn," I asked later. "Can I talk to you?"

Lyn rolled off of her bedroll and followed me into the woods, leaving the knights snoring behind us. Sain seemed to be having a curious dream about a woman named Meredith. I didn't want to know.

We stopped several hundred yards from the fire. Finally I said, "Lyn, I'm sorry about what I did today. I shouldn't have gambled with your life like that."

Lyn smiled and said, "I'm sorry Ander. I should have trusted that you had a plan. What fool of a tactician would you be if you honestly thought I could fight five grown men? But I doubted you, and for that _I _am sorry." Well, that didn't exactly make me feel better.

I shook my head. "No, Lyn. It goes beyond that. I let you down so many times today. You were supposed to be the warrior, but I almost got killed in Bulgar, almost got killed by that bandit, and now I've pressured you into traveling in the hands of a man who hates you and wants you out the way for some stupid political reason. I can't be your tactician if I keep screwing up like this." I sat down on a log and put my hands in my hair.

Lyn sat next to me and put her arm around me again. This time there was no blush. "Ander, you tried to save our money- yes, I know you stole it but that's not important now. What is important is that you were brave and did not let anyone mistreat you. As for the bandit attack, you thought you were saving my life. Maybe you did. Consider your scar a token of our friendship, a reminder that we will always look out for one another."

"But Lundgren-"

"-Is a fool if he thinks that he can conquer the two of us. Besides, we now have Kent and Sain to help. Though I am not certain of Sain's character, I do feel the two of them will help us in hard times. We will make it to Caelin."

I sighed. "I only told you that so that you wouldn't feel alone. I thought that knowing that you have a living relative would make life easier. I didn't really think you would want to march into the lion's den immediately."

Lyn held my close and whispered, "I wasn't alone Ander. Before I met you I was, but we are friends. True, we have not known each other long but I feel a special connection with you and I know you feel it too. It binds us together. I have you now to guide me and protect me."

I stared at her. "Protect you? I'm the one who needs protecting. I've almost died twice today. I'm just the tactician. I'm not even that good of one."

Lyn's eyes held on me, never blinking. "Ander, I know you are inexperienced. You are young. I am young. But because we are young we can grow and learn. I wouldn't care if you weren't even really a tactician. You would still be my friend and the one who is supposed to guide me. Remember our promises? I will always be your peerless warrior."

We sat there for a while, just holding each other. I wondered if she felt like it was just a friend thing. I personally just enjoyed the fact she still believed in me. I have to tell her, I thought. She has to know the truth.

But the words still wouldn't come, so I said, "I still feel bad about gambling with your life like that."

"Oh, that." Lyn pushed me off the log and onto the ground. "Consider yourself punished."

Laughing like maniacs, we walked back to camp.

Lyn may not love me, not like I now know I love her. But she was still my friend and that's all I cared about now. I could control my feelings. I would. For her.

Together, we would march to Caelin and see Lord Hausen. Sain and Kent could come if they wanted to. Whatever the case the two of us would never abandon each other. Before going to sleep I made a silent vow that I would always be Lyn's tactician. She needed me, just like I needed her.

I think I'm starting to like this job.

_A/N Wow. I got three chapters done like that! I hope you all paid particular care to this chapter's namesake because he will end up playing a larger role later in the story. But you won't see him again until the dragons' entrance. Review._

_Also, nobody tell me that the whole pairing is getting sappy or to soup opera-y for you. These two have a bond with each other and I wanted them to acknowledge that as soon as possible. It makes the building of their pairing easier. Consider this a support conversation._


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